Vrouw met aardappelzak over de schouder 1848 - 1927

August Allebé sketched this image of a woman with a potato sack over her shoulder, using graphite, seemingly as a study for a larger work. The potato sack, a simple utilitarian object, bears the weight of both physical labor and symbolic meaning, representing sustenance, survival, and the connection to the earth. Consider how the motif of carrying burdens appears in different contexts: Atlas, condemned to hold up the celestial heavens, or Christ carrying the cross. These archetypal images resonate with the shared human experience of bearing hardship. Here, the woman is bending slightly, bearing the weight of her load. Is this the burden of her toil, or is she carrying the weight of generations of hardship? The act of carrying, then, is not merely a physical act, but a potent symbol that resonates across cultures and epochs, engaging viewers on a subconscious level. It resurfaces, evolves, and takes on new meanings in different historical contexts.